Lembeh Strait Photo Gallery

Until you've experienced it for yourself, muck diving does not sound like a very appealing concept. But the resorts of Lembeh Strait in North Sulawesi, Indonesia have made muck diving an awesome expience. Lembeh Strait is a protected waterway with the world's highest conentration of unusual marine life. The following photographs will give you an idea of the delightful biodiversity of this remarkable environment. Enjoy!! Ken Knezick - Island Dreams

Photos Currently on Display in the Lembeh Strait Gallery...

In Lembeh, often the creature is viewed against a substrate of black volcanic sand. In this case though, the lovely orgnate ghost pipefish is photographed against a more colorful negative space.
Photo by: Ken Knezick / Island Dreams

The ribbon eel is most often spied with only its head extending from its lair. I've also had the good fortune to see one free swimming. Almost a meter in length, while moving along the bottom its body undulated exquisitely.
Photo by: Ken Knezick / Island Dreams

The porcelain crab inhabits one specific type of anemome. In a rapid but graceful dance it filters the water for specks of food by alternately throwing out one of two net-like appendages.
Photo by: Ken Knezick / Island Dreams

Clearly, this frogfish did not have to move in order to survive. An angler by trade, it lured its prey to lunch with a fleshy lure on its upper lip. This specimen had been in place so long that it had grown into the reef.
Photo by: Ken Knezick / Island Dreams

This animal was first described and photographed by Denise Neilsen Tackett. She named the divesite where it is found, "Hairball." In this image, the animal is displaying its lure, which it would beat against the sand to encourage a strike.
Photo by: Ken Knezick / Island Dreams

When this one came floating by, we literally could not believe our eyes. Until we got very close, and lit with our strobes, this amazing fish just looked like a floating ball of fluff.
Photo by: Ken Knezick / Island Dreams

Not all the beauties in Sulawesi underwater. We encountered this wonderful Tarsier in Tangkoko National Park. Small enough to sit in a teacup, the Tarsier is a nocturnal creature which feeds on insects. When moving from perch to perch, it moved so quickly that I could see where it had been, and where it landed, but its speedy leaps were only a blur of motion.
Photo by: Ken Knezick / Island Dreams

The reality is that most of these photos could not have been accomplished without the expert assistance of the photo savvy dive guides at Kungkungan Bay Resort and Thalassa Divers. They are simply the best I've seen when it comes to finding these amazing creatures. My hat's off to them!! Here's wishing you great diving...and a world of adventure!

Ken Knezick - President, Island Dreams Tours
& Travel

Follow these links for more Indonesia information:

Indonesia Dive Report -- Manado, Bunaken, and Lembeh
Island Dreams owner Ken Knezick has made numerous, extended research trips to Indonesia. Read his most recent review of diving opportunities in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, with first-hand reports from Murex Dive Resort and the excellent new Lembeh Resort.